4 research outputs found
Strong Plasmonic Enhancement of a Single Peridinin–Chlorophyll <i>a</i>–Protein Complex on DNA Origami-Based Optical Antennas
In
this contribution, we fabricate hybrid constructs based on a
natural light-harvesting complex, peridinin–chlorophyll <i>a</i>–protein, coupled to dimer optical antennas self-assembled
with the help of the DNA origami technique. This approach enables
controlled positioning of individual complexes at the hotspot of the
optical antennas based on large, colloidal gold and silver nanoparticles.
Our approach allows us to selectively excite the different pigments
present in the harvesting complex, reaching a fluorescence enhancement
of 500-fold. This work expands the range of self-assembled functional
hybrid constructs for harvesting sunlight and can be further developed
for other pigment–proteins and proteins
Broadband Fluorescence Enhancement with Self-Assembled Silver Nanoparticle Optical Antennas
Plasmonic
structures are known to affect the fluorescence properties
of dyes placed in close proximity. This effect has been exploited
in combination with single-molecule techniques for several applications
in the field of biosensing. Among these plasmonic structures, top-down
zero-mode waveguides stand out due to their broadband capabilities.
In contrast, optical antennas based on gold nanostructures exhibit
fluorescence enhancement on a narrow fraction of the visible spectrum
typically restricted to the red to near-infrared region. In this contribution,
we exploit the DNA origami technique to self-assemble optical antennas
based on large (80 nm) silver nanoparticles. We have studied the performance
of these antennas with far- and near-field simulations and characterized
them experimentally with single-molecule fluorescence measurements.
We demonstrate that silver-based optical antennas can yield a fluorescence
enhancement of more than 2 orders of magnitude throughout the visible
spectral range for high intrinsic quantum yield dyes. Additionally,
a comparison between the performance of gold and silver-based antennas
is included. The results indicate that silver-based antennas strongly
outperform their gold counterparts in the blue and green ranges and
exhibit marginal differences in the red range. These characteristics
render silver-based optical antennas ready for applications involving
several fluorescently labeled species across the visible spectrum
Axial Colocalization of Single Molecules with Nanometer Accuracy Using Metal-Induced Energy Transfer
Single-molecule localization
based super-resolution microscopy
has revolutionized optical microscopy and routinely allows for resolving
structural details down to a few nanometers. However, there exists
a rather large discrepancy between lateral and axial localization
accuracy, the latter typically three to five times worse than the
former. Here, we use single-molecule metal-induced energy transfer
(smMIET) to localize single molecules along the optical axis, and
to measure their axial distance with an accuracy of 5 nm. smMIET relies
only on fluorescence lifetime measurements and does not require additional
complex optical setups
Nano–bio interactions of upconversion nanoparticles at subcellular level: biodistribution and cytotoxicity
Background: Modern medicine requires intensive research to find new diagnostic and therapeutic
solutions. Recently, upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) doped with lanthanide ions have attracted
significant attention. Methods: The efficient internalization of UCNPs by cells was confirmed, and their
precise cellular localization was determined by electron microscopy and confocal studies. Results: UCNPs
colocalized only with specific organelles, such as early endosomes, late endosomes and lysosomes.
Furthermore, experiments with chemical inhibitors confirmed the involvement of endocytosis in
UCNPs internalization and helped select several mechanisms involved in internalization. Exposure to
selected UCNPs concentrations did not show significant cytotoxicity, induction of oxidative stress or
ultrastructural changes in cells. Conclusion: This study suggests that UCNPs offer new diagnostic options
for biomedical infrared imaging.</p